Silences
by hello-hero
Summary: The silence had been the worst part about everything." A tale of love, struggles and betrayal. Only slight Byro. Reviews really appreciated. EDIT; captured... and found! Two new chapters!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** No, I do not own the X-men. Although, I really want to be one…

**Other: **Set just after X2. Only the slightest of , but don't let that put you off. It's not too bad. However, don't say I didn't warn you. Would really appreciate comments, seeing as this is only my second fic. NOTE: Jean is not dead… I like her too much. The chapters are short… but who really cares? I like to change some events. So if some don't tie in with the movies, just go with the flow :)

**Chapter One  
**

The silence had been the worst part about everything. It wasn't the fact that there was no longer someone to talk to, hell, even someone to argue with… It was the silence at night, the silence during lessons. The silence. That was what upset Bobby Drake the most. And he didn't know if he could take it much longer.

He sat on his bed, alone, his gaze firmly fixed on the bed across to him. It was empty, although it was apparent that it hadn't always been like that. Clothes lay flung on the floor, hanging out of the cupboards… if a stranger would've walked in, they would've probably simply guessed that the 'other person' had simply gone out – that they were going to come back. But Bobby knew different. The 'other person' wasn't going to come back… at least, not for a long time yet. He couldn't deny it; he didn't want to pretend, to hope and wish for something he knew was never going to happen. He knew John much better than anyone else – and he knew that he wouldn't come back.

A soft knock came from the door, causing Bobby to jump. His clear blue eyes moved to latch onto the door, wondering who it was that had come to disturb him… The door opened slowly, without a word coming from Bobby, and he slowly registered the figure of Rogue.

Rogue gave a soft smile as she saw Bobby, although her worry could clearly be seen in her eyes. "Bobby," she said softly, stepping into the room, and quietly closing the door behind her. The room was cold, and Rogue was glad that she had a long-sleeved t-shirt on, for once in her life. It was obvious where this temperature drop had come from, given the occupant – after all, Bobby's codename _was _Iceman. Her gaze travelled around the room for a moment, taking in all that had been changed – or rather _not _changed. She had expected for the room to be clean… or at least, she expected it to have changed, at least a little. After all, it had been two weeks by now, since John had left.

Rogue returned her gaze to Bobby, forcing her smile to grow wider. The pain on his face was evident, the fear, even. It hurt her to seem him hurting, but she didn't know what to do about it anymore. Nothing seemed to be able to reach him… However, Rogue hoped she had an answer, at least for a little while.

She moved to take his hand, to at least try and comfort him through the little touch she dared to take… but she couldn't pretend not to see him flinch. Rogue's brow creased, the anger rising inside of her. And nothing was helped by the simple words of; "Go away Rogue."

"He's not dead!" The words slipped out of Rogue's mind, the words that had been at the forefront of her mind for the weeks since John had gone… And as soon as they were gone, she wished she could've snatched them back. The hardening of Bobby's expression only increased her knowledge that saying what she just had, really wasn't such a good idea. The words seemed to hang between the two mutants for a mere moment, the silence stifling. Rogue daren't open her mouth, for fear of something else unwanted slipping out. Instead, it was Bobby who broke the silence.

"Get out…" Bobby said softly, although the venom in his voice was easily heard. Rogue frowned slightly, edging away from the other mutant, flinching as his voice rose; "Get out!" She quickly got to her feet, a deep frown present on her face.

"A letter came for you," Rogue said, her words suddenly harsh, revealing a white envelope from her pocket. The scrawl on the front of the envelope was barely readable, and it only made it more obvious who it had come from – John had decided to write. Rogue simply threw it down beside Bobby, and with one final glare, hurried away, slamming the door behind her.

Once Rogue had gone, Bobby slowly let out the breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding. He glanced down to the letter, slowly taking it into his hands. He had prayed for this, and now it was here – but what would it say?

'_Iceboy.  
10 am sharp.  
By the river.  
Alone.'_

And finally, a slow smile spread across Bobby's face. John was coming.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** No, I do not own the X-men. Although, I really want to be one…

**Other: **Trying to get a bit of Rogue POV across. Wow, these chapters suck right now.

**Chapter Two  
**

Rogue sat in the classroom, not listening to what was supposed to be being taught to her. Instead, she leant precariously on her hand, her gaze downcast, as she drew aimlessly. With a sigh, she looked up from her doodles, her gaze automatically being drawn to the two empty desks beside her. The two desks that used to hold such familiar faces – the two desks that had both been empty for the past two weeks. With a slight smile on her face, she remembered the first day all three of them had come into the classroom, and raced for the back seats. There had been a bit of a scuffle between Bobby and John on who got the seat nearest to the door, but then Bobby had seen where Rogue was sitting, and gave in. The playful fighting had continued, through every lesson, and sometimes Rogue had just wanted to yell at the top of her voice at the two boys – they argued about the most pointless things, always trying to better than the other.

But she would give anything to have those arguments again. She would give anything to see the two boys smile at each other, as finally, one of them ran out of steam. But none of her wishes seemed to be coming true anymore. Rogue wasn't even sure on quite where Bobby's and her relationship was at either – she didn't even know if they were still together. Neither had talked to each other for so long, and when they did, it only ever seemed to be angry words.

"You can go, you know," a voice called to Rogue, causing her to sit up in her chair, her pencil falling out of her grasp, and clattering to the floor. Jean stood in front of her, the lesson obviously finished, as all the other students had left. Rogue guessed she must've missed the bell, too busy daydreaming. Rogue flashed a smile in Jean's direction, muttering a "sorry", as she tried to gather her books.

"He's still not coming then…" Jean said softly, glancing towards the empty desk. A soft frown played across her face, as she slipped into the chair opposite Rogue. She had been meaning to speak to the younger mutant for quite some time, about many things, and now just seemed like the right time. The room was private enough, after all. Rogue slowly stopped in her hurried actions, settling down once more. "No," she said, following Jean's gaze to Bobby's desk. "He isn't."

Jean moved to study Rogue's face, resisting the urge to simply read her mind, to find out what she was feeling – of course, she would never do that without someone knowing, but sometimes, it was just so tempting… But she had enough control not to. "How are you finding it?" She finally asked.

Rogue glanced towards Jean, before moving her gaze to stare over her shoulder. She shrugged slightly, trying to get the words right in her head, before she spoke it out loud. "I guess…" She started, her fingers fiddling nervously with the hem of her sleeve. "It's like he's a different person – I mean… it's like a piece of him is missing…" Rogue said quietly, already feeling the tears prick at her eyes. She brought a hand up to brush at her eyes, not wanting to cry… Enough tears had fallen already, she was not going to let anymore drop. John was not worth it.

Jean nodded slightly, knowing to let Rogue speak as and when she wanted. Sometimes, silences helped – it helped for the person to think things through, to understand everything. But sometimes, advice needed to be given as well. "John was his best friend, Rogue," she said softly, moving to grasp one of her hands. "They've been friends for over 5 years… it's going to be hard for him, as well as you." Jean squeezed Rogue's hand comfortingly, only able to guess at how hard it must be for her – to try and be the strong one, the one that had to help comfort, when you yourself needed comforting.

"I 'spose…" Rogue whispered softly, grateful for the touch of Jean's hand. At least _she _was still not scared of her touch. "I guess… It's just hard."

"I know… But it'll get easier." Jean said again, "I promise." Rogue nodded only ever so slightly, unsure if she could truly believe in the promise… Nothing seemed to be working as of yet.

"I'll speak to him…" Jean said wistfully, nodding her head, almost as if to confirm in her mind what she was going to do. "Maybe I can get something out of him." Jean shrugged her shoulders slightly, and smiled towards Rogue. "Now don't you have Scott next?" She asked, "He'll be mad at me, if I keep you for much longer!" Rogue silently nodded, and with a sigh, moved to go out of the room. Pausing for a moment, she turned in the doorway. "Thanks Jean," she said softly, knowing she would hear… and with that, she moved to her next class.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Can't claim to own the X-men. But if I did, things would be waaaay different

**Other: **Ok, so a couple of people have read this so far – but I would really appreciate some reviews. That would make me happy! I'm not feeling quite happy with these chapters so far, but whatever. Life goes on.  
IDEAS have come to me – in the middle of my German exam. This thing is gonna get pretty complicated now, so keep reading xD

**Chapter Three  
**

Jean moved slowly, quietly down the boy's corridor. She gently rubbed her forehead, the signs of a headache already appearing. They had been forming more and more recently these days, and she had no idea why. However, she had rather a lot to do recently, which she guessed was part of the reason. People got ill if they were too stressed – it always happened... but somehow, this didn't feel like simply stress. With a soft flick of her head, Jean tried to disregard these thoughts – she needed to concentrate on what she had to do next.

Jean knocked gently on the door in front of her, peering around it. A soft smile flickered onto her face as she saw Bobby sitting in front of his desk, although it didn't look like he was doing much work. "Hey Bobby," she spoke softly, stepping in, and closing the door behind her. He hadn't yet told her that she was even allowed in, but like she had said before to Rogue, she needed to talk to him.

"Jean," Bobby said softly, looking up to see the older teacher. He forced a smile onto his face, although unsure quite why she was here.

Jean glanced around the room, noting the obvious differences between the halves of the room – everyone knew that Bobby and John had been opposite in every way… and that included in tidiness. What appeared to be Bobby's half appeared immaculate, whereas Johns… the less said about that, the better.

"I haven't seen you in my class for a long time…" Jean said softly, moving into the room, to sit on Bobby's bed, moving to watch him carefully.

Bobby turned in his chair, before getting to his feet, and moving to sit down next to Jean. He felt rude, being halfway across the room. As she spoke, he shrugged his shoulders slightly… "I guess…" He started to explain, but quickly came to realize that he didn't really have an explanation. "I'm sorry."

"I just wanted to check if you were okay," Jean replied, smiling as he came to sit next to her. "To see how things were going."

Bobby nodded slightly, although the expression on his face told a different story. It was easy to see he was upset – and Jean knew he couldn't stay like this forever, without breaking. He had to talk, else it would overtake him, more so than it was now. She took one of his hands gently, shivering slightly at the cold touch. "It wasn't your fault, you know…" Jean whispered softly, knowing that would've been the main thoughts travelling through his mind.

And finally, something snapped inside of Bobby. He leant forward, into Jean, as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I want him back…" Bobby whispered into Jean's shoulder, the tears streaming down his face. " Seeing Bobby in so much pain, made Jean almost want to cry as well. He had lost his best friend, and she couldn't imagine the pain he was going through. The worst thing was the way it had happened – the way John had just turned his back, not even muttering a 'goodbye'.

"Bobby… it's going to get easier…" was the only advice Jean could give, other than the comfort of her hug. She honestly couldn't say much more.

For a moment, the two mutants sat locked together, taking comfort from the physical touch of a hug.

Finally, Bobby leant away slightly, bringing his hand up to scrub at his eyes. "I'm sorry…" He whispered, forcing a small smile to twitch at his lips, "I didn't mean to cry."

Jean smiled as Bobby spoke, shaking her head gently. "Everyone's allowed to cry, Bobby," she said softly, bringing a hand to rest under his chin, and gently guided his head, so their gaze met. "Don't ever apologize for it."

Bobby sat silent for a moment, before tearing his eyes away, unable to keep the stare. "Thank you…" He said softly, nodding his head slightly. "Thank you, Jean."

Jean smiled once more, hoping that he was feeling at least a little better. "It's okay." Silently, she got to her feet, knowing when to leave, to leave the boy alone again – she had done all she could, and now it was up to him, to try and sort his own thoughts out.

"I'm always here if you ever need me, Bobby," Jean said softly, as she moved across the room. She turned to smile again at Bobby, before moving forward, and closing the door behind her.

"I know…" came the reply, quietly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** Once again, I don't own the X-men. grin

**Other: **LOL at that last chapter – it was pitiful, I know. But now, the action starts… Hopefully. Read and review, thanks! **  
**

**Chapter Four  
**

Ever since Bobby had received John's letter, he hadn't been able to think about anything else. The time and the place he had to be at had been drumming through his head all day. Even if he had wanted to, he couldn't forget it. He had to be there.

And so, of course, there was no chance that he was going to be late – in fact, Bobby found himself at the designated spot at ten to ten. The spot had been a place that the two boys had used to go to when they were both at the mansion – many a time, John had started experimenting with his power, and Bobby had had to put it out, a potential disaster almost about to happen. And so, when the note had said meet at the river, Bobby knew exactly where to go.

The day was cold, but of course, Bobby liked it that way. He wore a simple shirt, and jeans, not needing anything warmer.

"Bobby," came the familiar voice, unexpectedly from behind him. Bobby fought the urge to spring around, to check that it truly was John, but instead moved slowly. After waiting so long to hear from him again, Bobby was not going to give John the satisfaction of seeing his eagerness.

"I missed you." The same words left both boys lips at the same time, and for a moment, a smile graced both faces – it was funny how similar they both were in their differences. Bobby slowly studied John, taking in the way he looked tired – he looked thinner. A slight frown creased Bobby's brow, as he wondered how the Brotherhood had been treating him. Was he alright?!

"I wanted to say goodbye…" John said softly, bringing a hand up to rub at the back of his hair, his gaze focused on the river in front of them. Bobby silently stood in front of him, knowing to let John speak – if you interrupted, he would only clam up. "It's just…" John frowned, and then shook his head. He couldn't speak what he thought out loud – at least not now.

Bobby nodded slightly, as he shoved his hands deep into his pocket. "I thought you would come back sooner than this…" He said softly, now his turn to look anywhere but at the other person.

The sudden kiss was unexpected – John's warm lips crashed against Bobby's cold ones, and without thinking, the other mutant responded. For a moment, the two were together, happy as one. But quickly Bobby placed his hands on John's chest, and pushed away.

"What are you doing?!" Bobby exclaimed, his mind slowly working through quite what just happened… They had just _kissed_. Two boys, had just kissed. He was meant to have been going out with Rogue… not _kissing John_. But secretly, deep down, Bobby knew it wasn't wrong. Bobby knew this was going to come. It was why he had turned up.

John smiled coyly, always able to read Bobby like a book. He arched an eyebrow, and leant forward again, their lips meeting once more. Slowly, but surely, the boys got closer, as Johns hands slowly slipped under Bobby's shirt.

Suddenly John pulled away.

"I'm sorry Bobby…" John whispered, his hands clutching at Bobby's, almost as if he was scared to let him go. The change in personality was massive, from the confident boy who had just stood in front of him. A frown creased Bobby's face, the confusion shining through his eyes slightly. "What do you mean?" He asked. John stood still for a moment, before leaning forward to whisper in the other boy's ear. "I love you."

And that was when Bobby heard the soft rustle of someone moving behind him. It was when Bobby felt the sharp piercing of something entering his back.

His body dropped lifelessly to the floor.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** Oh, how I wish I owned the X-men… then I would sort it all out, good and proper.

**Other: **Reviews? Pretty please?!**  
**

**Chapter Five  
**

The X-men never stopped looking for Bobby Drake. But slowly, the hopes were quashed, the fears of the worst increased, as time went on.

They never heard the screams of pain, which slowly got quieter and quieter.  
They never saw the experiments, the _tests_.  
They never saw the boy they once knew, slowly losing his mind.

But they would. They would find it out all too soon.

The letter John had sent to Bobby had been found on his bed. The syringes that once examined, appeared to have contained a strong sleeping drug, were found by the river. The marks of a body being dragged could be seen. No-one had seen Bobby, since Jean had spoken to him. John refused to speak to anyone, and not long after, left the Brotherhood, to disappear into the city.

Rogue and Kitty blamed John. Others weren't so sure.

But no-one knew the truth… and after 5 years, no-one believed they were ever going to be able to.  
That was, until Xavier called the X-men into the Mission Room.

"I have some news," the Professor spoke in his normal calming voice, his face not showing any sign of the news he was about to break to his beloved team. "I got some signals only mere minutes ago…" He paused for a moment, composing himself. "I believe I know where Bobby is."

It took only that sentence for the X-men to charge into the jet – they had lost one of their own for so long, of course they were determined to get him back. They barely stopped to take in the full details, and Scott spoke as the jet quickly set off. "It's a building in North Australia." He said quickly, his gaze focused ahead of him, though his voice was directed to the others. "The Professor believes it was some sort of experimental facility…" For a moment, he paused, and then continued, his voice softer than before. "You have to be prepared…"

Scott's sentence hung in the air for a moment, no more needed to be said. All of the team knew what they could find there…

The team flew out of the jet, as soon as it had landed, each prepared in their own way to react to what may greet them… but there was nothing. At least, nothing obvious.

"It's deserted…" Kitty said softly, although her gaze continued to sweep around the building. In front of them, looked like any normal building, that hadn't been used for years. The windows had been smashed, and the doors were left wide open – it didn't look like anything they had been expecting. It looked like no-one had been here for years!

Scott glanced to her, before looking back on his team. "Jean?" he questioned, knowing that she would know what he wanted – a mental scan of the surrounding area, just to make sure. After a few moments of silence, and a slight creasing of Jean's brow, she shook her head. "Nothing."

Scott nodded, his face stern, as he glanced at the others. "We're going to check this building inside out. Any scrap of information…" He paused for a moment, to retrace his thoughts "You all know what we're looking for. Rogue, with Angel. Take the east side. Kitty, and Logan, take the back. Jean, with me… We'll go for the west… meet here in 10 minutes."

Each couple set off quickly, moving at their own pace. They all knew the procedure, performed it so many times… but somehow, this was different. They each prayed to find something… and yet hoped to find nothing.

Finally, all met at the designated point, and Scott looked pointedly towards Rogue, and Angel.

"Nothing there," came Angel's reply, and as he glanced to Logan, was met with a firm shake of his head. Sighing softly, Scott nodded, glancing back towards the building. "Let's go in then."

No-one expected to find anything. At least, first impressions didn't give much hope. Little did they know how wrong they were.

The team passed room, after empty room. Little evidence was left of who might have been there. Instead, shattered glass lay over nearly every floor, with broken tables, and chairs left abandoned.

It wasn't long before the group stumbled on something strange, however. Another room. And one that was most certainly not trashed, like nearly all of the others. A large, what could only be described as _theatre,_ was in front of them. A bed stood in the middle of the room, and surrounding it were tables… tables, and tables, on top of which laid menacing looking objects – syringes, knives, anything that could've been thought of. And it didn't take a genius to guess what these things had been used for…

Rogue moved away, unable to look anymore, her imagination running riot. Had Bobby been here?! Surely not… it couldn't possibly be! But as she moved, her gaze was caught by a small door, set into the wall. Without thinking, she stepped forward, and opened it – the room opened to a small room, of which faced onto a large pane of glass… a pane of glass that showed another room.

A person sat in the corner of the room, their knees pulled up to their chest. His head rested on his knees, his arms hanging lifelessly by his side. Even from behind the glass, the almost skeletal figure was obvious… as well as the harsh scars that appeared to criss-cross all over his body. Their hair was shaved to the scalp, and heavy shackles braced his ankles and wrists, chained to the wall.

After what seemed a life-time, the person lifted his head, gazing steadily towards the window.

"That's Bobby…" came the strained whisper, from Rogue, as the others crowded behind her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I didn't get there first to write my name on the X-men – it sucks, really.

**Other: **I actually just realized something – where is Storm gone in all of this?... Eh, sometimes I am stupid. However, if it does occur to any of you why Storm was not involved in that last chapter, she's still back at the mansion. I lub her, don't worry **  
**

**Chapter Six  
**

The icy blue eyes stood out in the pale face… they were the only familiar thing about him. Although they had lost their sparkle, their _happiness_. They seemed almost blank, no emotions sparkling through, like they used to.

"Jean, Kitty, Rogue… Go back to the jet, and get it ready." The three of them stood silently, not reacting to Scott's words, almost like they hadn't heard him. He glanced towards them, the frown on his face growing, as he repeated his words. "Go back to the jet. We need it ready!" Tearing their eyes away from the sight in front of them, the three women finally nodded, and moved away from the window.

Scott returned to face the room again, his gaze latching onto the door, which obviously led into it. He moved carefully, slowly, into the room, conscious of the fact that all may not be as it seem. There could still be a trap within the room – but, as he opened the door, nothing sprung out at him, or attacked him.

Bobby flinched as he heard the door open, the rattle of his chains echoing as he brought a hand up, to try to protect his head from the oncoming blow that he was sure to come – after all, no-one ever came to him without giving him a beating… One of the strangers started to speak, but Bobby knew not to listen. If they even had a feeling that he was eavesdropping, the beating would be even worse… he had learnt that the hard way, a long time ago.

"Logan. I need you to cut the chains off of him…" Scott spoke quietly towards the other man, although he didn't move his gaze off of Bobby. He saw the natural movement to protect himself, the way he had flinched already… this only confirmed the already clear fact that Bobby had been treated badly in this place – whatever it was.

Logan nodded, knowing that this was one time when he _should_ be taking the orders. Scott knew what he was doing, especially when it involved another member of the team… The sight in front of him made him sick to his stomach – he would never wish this kind of treatment, even to his worst enemy. Knowing that he himself had been through something like this only made it worse – for a brief moment, Logan wondered whether he did really want to recapture his lost memories, if it would only bring memories like _this_.

At the sight of what appeared to be knives came out of the one of the men's hands in front of him, Bobby tried to shrink ever further into the corner – the sharp objects could only mean bad things. He prayed it wouldn't take long this time, that they would go quickly… the longer it took, the more it hurt.

Scott tried not to notice the way the fear sparked in Bobby's eyes, as Logan cut his chains… he tried not to see the way he shrunk away from all of them, the way he shielded his eyes, careful not to meet their gaze… and the way his body shook with sheer terror. "Bobby… we're going to take you home," Scott said softly, bending down in front of the boy he used to know so well – but now, he barely recognized him.

Bobby finally raised his gaze – seeing the face in front of him, the visor that covered the man's eyes… for a moment, he thought he had seen him before. Not here – but somewhere else. Somewhere better than this. Bobby suddenly slumped forward against Scott's arm; unable to take the strain anymore…

Scott glanced to Logan, then to Angel. "I'll carry him," He said, knowing there was no other way. Moving forward, he scooped his arms underneath Bobby, standing up in one smooth action, trying to keep the journey as smooth as possible. In the state Bobby was in, anything could do more damage to him. Bobby's weight surprised Scott… or lack of it. He moved quickly past the others, calling to them to; "make sure no sign is left."

Scott moved as quickly as he could, towards the jet. His footsteps were the only noise in the barren landscape, and his gaze was fixed on Bobby's body, in his arms. He prayed that he would be alright… that they would be able to help him. "Jean?" Scott called softly, as he finally made his way up the ramp of the jet, quickly being met with the reply of "over here".

Scott moved to the back of the jet, where Jean waited – a small medical bay had been incorporated into the jet, one that had come in handy often – but never more so than now. "The others are just coming. We've got to get going," Scott said grimly, laying Bobby carefully on the bed. With one last glance over the boy, and a gentle squeeze of comfort on Jean's hand, he turned, to move back to his seat, at the front of the jet.

Logan and Angel finally made their way onto the jet, and glancing over to Scott, nodded their confirmation that they had done what they had been asked. Without saying a word, they moved to their seats, strapping in. With a quick flick of switches, the engines of the jet fired up… and the X-men lifted into the air.

Jean traced her fingers gently across the boy's body, unable to even imagine the horrors he had obviously been through. It was clear to see that he was not in a good way – physically _or _mentally. Tears threatened to spill for a moment, as she remembered how she had spoken to him on the very day that he had disappeared – why didn't she stop him? Why didn't she know?!

Bobby felt the soft touch of someone's hands. He kept his eyes closed for a moment, his mind desperately trying to figure out which part of him had been experimented on this time – but no obvious pain was occurring. The touch was gentle, much gentler than he had felt for a long time. Normally, the men hadn't cared what they were doing – they simply shoved him around. But this touch was different. This touch was nice.

"Bobby?" came the soft murmur, and finally, he was able to close his eyes, finally letting the dark overcome him. He didn't try to stop, didn't _want _to. Whatever was happening now, was different from before. He knew the pain would come, it had to. But for now, he could get away from it.

"Scott!" came the call from Jean, as suddenly, Bobby's body started to shake uncontrollably.

"Angel, take the controls," Scott quickly ordered, He ran to the back, quickly surveying the situation, moving to stand at Bobby's head, placing his hands on the boys shoulders, pinning him to the table. Scott desperately tried to hold Bobby's shaking body down, grimacing as wave after wave of icy cold air seemed to be flowing outwards from the boy.

"It's too much for him…" Jean muttered softly, in Scott's direction, her hands stopping briefly, a look of concentration flickering across her face. Her eyes flickered upwards to meet the familiar metal of Scott's glasses, the fear evident in her eyes. "Oh Scott…"

"No!" Rogue screamed, as she saw Jean stop, and moved to run towards the couple… but Logan stood up quickly, moving to wrap his arms around her, his firm hold stopping her from venturing any further - she would be of no help to the current crisis happening, he knew that for sure. "We can't lose him now!" Rogue yelled, struggling uselessly against Logan's grip, before turning, to bury her face into his covered shoulder, not able to watch anymore… "We can't lose him again," she whispered once more.

"It's his mind…" Jean muttered, bringing a hand up to her forehead, as she stumbled backwards, almost as if she had been hit by a physical blow. "We need to get him to the Professor."

Scott nodded, his hands still firm on Bobby's shoulders, making sure that, at least, he wasn't going to fall. "We're almost there," he whispered, half to Jean, and half to Bobby. "Just hold on…"


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** Eh, seriously, how many times do I need to write this disclaimer bit, for you to understand?

**Other: **Reviews. Please?

**Chapter Seven  
**

The Professor was already waiting for them, anticipating the arrival of his team. He knew that time was of the essence; the longer they took, the less chance that they were going to be able to help Bobby. The less chance they might have of keeping him breathing.

Scott quickly left the Jet first, the boy in his arms. Silently, he stopped in front of his leader, his hands still trying to control the shaking boy, to stop him from falling to the ground. Xavier quickly moved forward, moving up towards Bobby's head, before placing his hands gently either side, barely touching the skin.

The frown grew deeper on Xavier's face, and for a moment, Rogue almost thought she saw his hands shake. Slowly, her gloved hand crept down to grip Logan's; she was terrified. Surely they couldn't lose him, after only just managing to have found him? After searching for so long, they couldn't just sit here, and watch him slip away! But slowly, something was happening; Bobby's body was starting to slow down, to not convulse as much. Slowly, but surely, his body was starting to relax, as much as it could do.

"Scott, I need you to take him to the Infirmary." The Professor commanded, looking up to his chosen leader. Quickly, he dropped his hands away from the mutant's head, bringing them back to rest on the armrests of his wheelchair, praying that nobody would notice the way his fingers gripped the sides oh so tightly.

The leader nodded solemnly, and slowly, he moved forward. Silently, he scooped the younger mutant back into his arms, taking the utmost care not to be too rough. He didn't want to be the one to cause any further harm to happen – he wanted to do at least this small job correctly.

The procession of X-men moved quickly, yet silently. No-one could think of anything to say, even if they had wanted to. The silence seemed right, for the sights they had just seen. Nothing should be said... nothing _could _be.

As the frail body was finally placed on the bed underneath the bright lights of the infirmary, the X-men silently grouped around the small bed, their gazes fixed on the same scene. Each longed with all their hearts, for the boy's chest to keep rising, and falling – for Bobby to stay alive.

The Professor slowly stopped before the door of the room, a frown set firmly on his face. From before, he had caught mere glimpses of what Bobby had been through, as he had been trying to calm his mind – and it sickened him to his stomach. He prayed that the other X-men would never come to know even half of what had happened; they wouldn't be able to cope with it, with it happening to one of their closest members. To one of their _happiest _members.

He gazed through the window, his beloved X-men finally complete once more, in front of him. It was so hard to see one of his students, one of his _family, _forced to go through such pain, such _torture_. For what reason, they had yet to find out. But they would – he would make sure they would. And though he wasn't the kind of man who thought in the form of revenge and grudges, Xavier knew that he was not going to let it rest, until they found the person who had done this.

"Get out!!" A scream echoed its way down the corridor, to the Professor, and quickly, he turned, hoping that the scream was nothing more than a childish game. But all too soon, another voice drifted towards Xavier; "I have to see him!" The voice pleaded desperately, and Xavier didn't have to see the person, to know who it was.

St. John Allerdyce had come back.


End file.
